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International Journal in Management and Social Science http://ijmr.net.in, Email: [email protected] IS THERE ANY BASIS FOR EDUCATIONAL POLICY AND PRACTICEWITHOUT PHILOSOPHY?
NWAFOR, Naboth Hanachor A. Ph.D Department of Educational Foundation,
Rivers State University, Port Harcourt
Abstract
The polemics over the role of philosophy and its relationship with educational policy and practice is not a recent one. This paper shows that there is an inextricable relationship between educational policy and practice, and that philosophy plays a significant role n the formulation of educational policy and implementation. Also, it stresses that philosophical analysis’ role in the formation of educational policies cannot be contested by empirical inquiry. Hence, the paper further points out that any educational policy worth its salt must elicit public confidence in order to enjoy effective and full implementation.
Keywords:policy, educational policy, practice, philosophy, implementation, confidence
Introduction
All over the world, governments and institutions hardly operate without any conceptualized framework for the attainment of desirable socio-economic goals and objectives for sustainable development of society. It is for this reason that ideas are generated and fashioned into concrete working instruments that have continually transformed the world. Ideas are replete in various spheres of life, and humans have appropriated them not only to make names for themselves, but also to alleviate social problems plaguing humanity in general. What has elevated the dignity of humans today were as a result of ideas initiated by some great thinkers and scholars in the form of discoveries, inventions and innovations, theories, policies, practices, among others.
The conceptualization of ideas, though in philosophical form, gradually crystallizes into theories, policies, principles, rules, and so on. In the educational landscape, there can hardly be any form of practice without ideas backing it. In effect, educational systems are founded on one philosophical school or more as the case may be. Similarly, there cannot be any educational system without policies underlying it; and policies being what they are, cannot achieve their desirable goals unless they are effectively and religiously implemented to the letter.
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International Journal in Management and Social Science http://ijmr.net.in, Email: [email protected] …without philosophy, educational policy is more likely to bemuddled and inconsistent, overly concerned with the tangential or trivial and so tremendously busy with getting things done that the possibility of foolishness outweighs the likelihood of wisdom (p.165).
In fact, it could be adduced that the inconsistencies in educational policies are as a result of no philosophical consideration in the policy formulation. This paper intends to find out whether there is any relationship between philosophy and educational policy, the role of philosophy in educational policy formulation, and the challenges in educational policy implementation. Before then, we shall consider first the key concepts that pervade this discourse.
Conceptual Clarification
The key concepts that undergird this paper are policy, educational policy, practice, and philosophy. It is apt and proper to begin the foray into this discussion by analyzing and clarifying the concepts above contextually.
The Concept of Policy
It is evident that there are many types of policy such as public or private policy, foreign policy, educational policy, language policyand so on. In each of these types of policy, one thing is quite outstanding and central to all of them, and that is the term “policy”. Hence the term policy deserves our primary attention. Policy may mean different things to different people depending on the context in which they use it. Policy ordinarily means a high-level overall plan consisting of general goals, objectives and acceptable procedures, especially one enunciated or formulated by government or its agencies, which should serve as a guide and determinant of present and future decisions and actions. For Henri (2006), policy is a course of action adopted and pursued by government towards accomplishment of objectives. This conception seems to ignore the fact that there are non-governmental policies; policies that regulate the decisions and operations of corporate organizations and individuals.
According to Amirize (2009), policy provides a robust blueprint that forms the basis of any programme of action, and serves as a road map for the attainment of intended goals. For Nwafor (2011), policy can be viewed as a statement of intent which is implemented as a procedure or protocol, having targets or goals with specified means of achieving them within a spelt out time frame. In effect, a policy is a principle that guides decisions and the achievement of rational results. Hence, it serves the purpose of ensuring that official actions of an organization must have a basis or a backing (Okoroma, 2006). A policy that worths its salt necessarily must have some basic components, which according to Nwafor (2011) include the following:
ideological basis which provides a policy its visionary instinct and injects into it a sense of mission.
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International Journal in Management and Social Science http://ijmr.net.in, Email: [email protected] set goals to be achieved, without which the policy will be meaningless and void. achievable objectives, which give policy operators clearer picture of what is beingenvisaged.
specific time frame, which can be reviewed in line with prevailing socio-economic situation.
sustainability, which makes room for meeting the needs of the present and future generations.
In all, whether the policy is micro and macro, there must be a rationale behind its formulation, more especially as it gives its implementer necessary guidelines and specifies the goals and objectives encapsulated in the philosophy of the society or organization, which should elicit the confidence of the intended beneficiaries. In its strict sense, policy is political; it is all about the power to determine what should be done; it shapes who benefits from it- for what purpose and who pays for it. Indeed, it touches the very heart and essence of educational philosophy.
The Concept of Educational Policy
The concept of educational policy simply means a policy by government which has been carefully crafted with the aim of providing benchmark for the conduct of educational programmes and activities in the interest of everyone. It must be noted that most policies have political coloration and undertone, because it must be designed in such a way that it would satisfy primarily the interest of government of the day, and then later the needs of the ordinary citizens. In this regard, Awokoya (1981) held that educational policy is geared towards improvement of the quality of life of the people. For him, the cardinal objectives of any policy are to ensure the satisfaction of individual needs and to meet the demands for the education and training of manpower for societal growth and development. He outlined some vital considerations that are necessary platform for the formulation of sustainable educational policy. They include the following, among others:
an educational policy should be formulated and adopted through a political process, which acknowledges the reality and legitimacy of conflicting interests and desires among its participants and beneficiaries.
it should show some elements of guidance for properly directed and coordinated action towards the achieving of the desired goals.
it should be a binding force on the actions of those implementing it. it should be enforceable for and enforced by the society that formulated it. it should contain information on the broad objectives that should be attained.
The above criteria for educational policy formulation notwithstanding, some educational policies are riddled with contradictions and inconsistencies. As a result, the implication for the education system will be policy somersault, a situation that would engender stagnation and confusion within the system and society at large.
The Concept of Philosophy
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International Journal in Management and Social Science http://ijmr.net.in, Email: [email protected] view, yet there is no universally acceptable definition of philosophy. Rather, what we have in most cases and circumstances are working definitions. Ordinarily, philosophy is the study of ideas about knowledge, truth, the nature and meaning of life, a set of ideas about how to do something or how to live. As a broad and academic discipline, philosophy is a rational activity which in a critical and conscious manner tries to understand the universe, its origin and man‟s place in it (Nwafor, 2016). In this connection Christensen (1977) states that:Philosophy in this formal sense can be defined as the systematic, reflective, critical, primarily reason-bound inquiry into the basic assumptions and guiding beliefs that people use to make sense of dimension of their lives (p.1).
In every society, actions and activities are products of ideas, intentions assumptions, and beliefs which are critically analyzed and synthesized before applying them to normal life situation. Ideas, basic assumptions and guiding beliefs of a people are the kernel of any policy, be it educational, political or economic. Hence, no policy can be devoid of some elements of philosophy.
The Concept of Practice
The word practice has its natural home in the domain of activities associated with skills. Practice therefore is the simply means to do something repeatedly in order to have mastery at it. Hence, the age-long maxim: “Practice makes perfect.” Practice therefore is the habitual performance of a task, skill, behaviour or attitude in such a way that it becomes an unquestionable norm or standard, which is acceptable to all. Practice could also mean the work the individual does in terms of his/her profession in compliance with laid down rules, guideless and principles. For example, a lawyer or a medical doctor engages in legal or medical practice respectively as a means of livelihood and as a profession. Similarly, the teacher does same in the classroom based on educational theories and principles. In all cases, the practice is governed by established professional ethics that requires strict compliance. But these days, the practice of these professions has been bastardized by quacks, thereby making the professions to seemingly lose their value and esteem.
However, the term practice can equally imply to carry out or to implement some instructions given either in written or verbal form with a view to achieving a desirable result. In this regard, to implement a directive embodied in a well articulated statement of intentions geared towards sustainable development of society would necessarily require constantly repeated actions by all stakeholders to ensure the actualization of the set goals and objectives. In simple terms, practice is coterminous with implementation of rules, regulations and policies of an organization or society, as well as the way and manner they are implemented or carried out.
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International Journal in Management and Social Science http://ijmr.net.in, Email: [email protected] philosophy and educational policy. If there is any connection, can that be a basis for educational policy and practice?Relationship between Philosophy and Educational Policy and Practice
The argument generated by Fielding and McLaughlin seen previously seems to find a more commodious arena here for critical examination. To Conroy et al. (2008), the disputation between the two men referred to above masks a rather deeper question than whether individual should be modest or immodest in their claims to the relative importance of the contribution of philosophy to policy. They therefore contented that:
That deeper question is – can we have any confidence at all in philosophy as a basis for policy and practice? Of course, this appears on first look to be a question about the bona fide of philosophy as an enterprise, but on a closer examination, we can see that it may be a question of confidence itself (p.166)
The basic issues here are whether we can have authentic evidence to establish confidence in philosophy as a fulcrum for policy and practice, as well as knowing the likely nature of confidence to be reposed in philosophy in this regard. The implication therefore is that some may be skeptical of the authenticity of philosophy, which deals more with abstract ideas as a pedestal for policy formulation as opposed to empirical evidence and concrete realities. On the other hand, confidence as a term can lend itself to several interpretations depending on its contextual usage. In effect, if we should have confidence in philosophy as a platform for policy formulation, in what sense shall we use it? Confidence as an abstract term can be used in many senses:
confidence in wining a football match;
confidence in one‟s ability to pass examinations;
confidence in some metaphysical claims, e.g., reincarnation; confidence in other people‟s judgments;
confidence in a socio-political system, and so many other senses of confidence.
In all these senses, confidence is seen as a property of the abstract domain applied to physical realities, which may or may not be realistic depending on the place, time and circumstance in which it is used and applied.
Consequently, it could be argued that confidence in whichever sense it is used,
has ideas relevant to the context in which it is used, and that the relevant ideas are rooted in
philosophy if seen from the reflective thinking point of view, and that ideas ultimately give
birth to theories, rules, principles and policies- in this case, educational policies. In practice,
such policies necessarily ought to enjoy public confidence, a sort of present and futuristic
confidence in the intended outcomes of the goals and objectives enshrined in them for the
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International Journal in Management and Social Science http://ijmr.net.in, Email: [email protected] the formulation of educational policies in conjunction with other experts in the educationindustry. This is aptly stressed by Conroy et al. (2008) that:
The value or usefulness of philosophers of education to the
enterprise of educational improvement has to be in some
important respect, dependent on a relationship of confidence in
both the judgments and capacities of others (p.168).
However, there are some who argue that educational philosophers do not regard issues raised in the empirical circles as they focus more on some of the most egregious instances of poor empirical research and condemn all such research as fatally flawed and useless (Philips, 2005). For this reason, Philips therefore suggested that if philosophers of education wish to secure the confidence of other scholars working in the field, they should be ready to subject their own normative claims to some form of scrutiny. He maintained that this is an important condition for establishing a working relationship between philosophy of education and the rest of other educational research and policy community. This thinking seems not to be in tandem with Ary et al. (1972), who held that:
Research in education as in other fields, is a search for knowledge. It is not a search that yields infallible truths but rather a search that throws new light on questions that concern education.
In the views of Enoh and Babarinde (2012), the search for knowledge should be premised on objectivity which in the process of research engenders confidence in the ultimate outcome of the exercise. For them, philosophers of education are always curious to search beyond the present state of objectivity by thinking differently. They further argue that:
If such a curiosity takes us to possibilities that seem reasonable or worthy of accepting, it becomes necessary to put them to test. It is curiosity that leads to a problem and which drives an individual to do certain things to arrive at a possible answer. If all we do is systematic and the conclusion we arrive at make a valid connection between the activities we engaged in research. It is not important whether such activities are observations, conducting experiments, reasoning or questioning (p.9).
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International Journal in Management and Social Science http://ijmr.net.in, Email: [email protected] society, but not all results of research influence policy formation and practice; circumstantial exigencies equally do necessitate them. It can be argued that in all situations, Fielding‟s (2000) call for philosophy to provide its distinctive critical reflection on the how, what and why of policy formation (including educational policy) cannot be glossed over.The Role of Philosophy in Educational Policy Formulation
It is arguably evident that policies are products of environmental phenomena, as well as the outcomes of reflective thinking vis-à-vis.the prevailing socio-economic and political realities. Every human endeavour to a large extent entails a reasonable degree of speculation, which serves a stepping stone to subsequent activities. Educational activities, no doubt, involve a lot of speculation comparable to what is involved in a building project. In this regard, Ayeni and Adeleye (2012) state that:
The purpose, strength and durability of the building among other things depend on the efficiency of the architect‟s… before other works in building play their part. The architect performance depends (so much) on his ability to speculate (pp. 39-39, words in
bracket mine).
In other words, every other worker in the building construction would be guided by their own ability to speculate at all stages to enable them develop ideas that would lead to other relevant building activities. Similarly, educational policies begin as mental constructs, which undergo the processes of analysis and synthesis before becoming a statute that regulates the activities of various educational practitioners.
However, MacLaughlin (2002) may have contradicted himself when examining the relationship between philosophy and policy. For he said, that philosophy can serve to illuminate complexities, and sharpen dilemmas. Yet, he goes on to say, it can undermine grounds for practical compromise and encourage further discussion and argument rather than decision. If philosophy can elucidate complexities and make dilemmas clearer and distinct, then it cannot undermine grounds for practical compromise. Rather, it can enhance and facilitate fruitful discussion and argument which would engender practical policy decision -making process, especially in educational policy. On the other hand, if philosophy can undermine grounds for practical compromise, the discussions and arguments that would follow will be inimical to any envisaged policy, and this in turn would endanger the implementation process.
Without equivocation, it can be argued that philosophical analysis plays significant role, which empirical inquiry cannot, in the educational policy-making process. Corroborating this assertion, Conroy et al. (2008) averred that:
One of the main targets of applying philosophical analysis to the
work of educational policy-making may actually be
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International Journal in Management and Social Science http://ijmr.net.in, Email: [email protected] function in the development of policy initiatives derived from theconsideration of specific educational problems (pp173-174).
In essence, in as much as inference is necessary for arriving at valid conclusion, so also is philosophical analysis inevitable to policy formulation and decision-making process. It has been, however, observed that Wilson‟s (1963) view that philosophy as conceptual analysis sets out to delineate areas of interest to education, most importantly in moral education is quite narrow (Bridge, 2003). Hence, Young (2000) maintained that philosophers contribute to the clarification, analysis and defence of values that underpin policies and practice. In other words, philosophical thinking in educational policy formulation is a sine qua non to moral understanding, educational values, concrete educational experience, and educational policy and practice. Hence, Ayeni and Adeleye‟s (2012) assertion that educational research goes beyond empirical investigation, and that it includes among things rational and historical forms which should not be treated with levity or contempt.
Challenges in Educational Policy Implementation in Nigeria
Since the introduction of Western formal education in Nigeria in 1842, many educational ordinances or policies have been formulated to guide the educational practice. Although the colonial educational policies laid the foundation of Nigeria‟s educational system, they were primarily not Nigeria-oriented, because the ideology and philosophy behind them were quite foreign. This indisputable fact has been the Achilles heel of Nigerian education in theory and practice.
In the recent past, many educational policies have been formulated to accelerate rapid socio-economic development of the country, but in most cases, implementation has always been the major problem hindering the actualization of the goals and objectives of the policies. Such policies include: Universal Primary Education (U.P.E), Quota System of Admission, Take-Over of Schools, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), 6-3-3-4 System, Universal Basic Education (U.B.E), among others. Some of the challenges hindering the effective implementation of educational policies and practice are as follows:
i. Influence of foreign ideologies and philosophies
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International Journal in Management and Social Science http://ijmr.net.in, Email: [email protected]ii. Corruption
In addition, Nigeria has been viewed as an endemically corrupt country, and that
corruption has become an institutionalized monster which no successive government since independence has been able to grapple with (Nwafor, 2011). The magnitude of this menace has reached alarming proportion such that Achebe (1983) warned that if Nigeria did not destroy corruption, corruption will greatly destroy her. For Okoroma (2006), if anything has contributed to the stagnation of corporate development of Nigeria, it is this virus called corruption. This menace has engaged the attention of the international community as reported by Transparency International (TI) that Nigeria was seen as one of the most corrupt countries in the world (Adesina, 2004). The frequency of this hydra-headed monster as observe by Olagunju (2017) is, “one week, one scandal”, and the government is overwhelmed by torrents sensational scandals and allegations against high-level appointments. In such a corruption- riddled scenario, good educational policies will not achieve their intended goals and objectives. Indeed, the main cause of Nigeria‟s underdevelopment is as a result of the pervasiveness of corruption in the fabric of our national life.
iii. Inadequate Funding
The problem of inadequate funding of the educational system is now a perennial one: it has adversely affected the implementation of educational policies at all tiers of the educational system. Budgetary allocation, in most cases, seems to be fair enough but in rare cases are they released to pursue the achievement of policy goals. The reason being that sizeable chunk of the allocation are diverted for personal gains. Hence, Aghenta (1984) observed that:
The money available is never carefully used. The money the government votes for running the schools… does not get to the schools and the little that gets there is normally wasted by those whose responsibility it is to manage the schools.
It is glaringly clear that Nigeria has consistently reneged on the UNESCO directive that all nations should set aside 26% of their annual budget for education. Nigeria has not given this global injunction any serious attention that would facilitate policy implementation. For example, infrastructural facilities, payment of teachers‟ salaries, provision of equipment, etc., all are capital intensive projects, the absence of which, to a large have marred the implementation process.
iv. Contradictions and inconsistencies
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International Journal in Management and Social Science http://ijmr.net.in, Email: [email protected] appointment of 21, 870 primary school teachers for failing a primary four competency test conducted in June 2017 (Isengo, 2017). This policy conflicted with the role of a more statutorily empowered agency, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, the only recognized professional body to test teacher‟s competence. Again, in the National Policy on Education, it was envisaged that adult education will be part of the Universal Basic Education up to Basic nine (FRN,). At the moment, the adult education component is still in limbo. In fact, the compulsory primary education of the National Policy on Education is only on paper as free primary education is a rise.v. Appointment of wrong persons into offices of trust
An obnoxious practice which has both tribal and crony colouration is the appointment of wrong persons into offices of trust. There are many instances where persons are assigned portfolios which they have little or no knowledge of. For example, an accountant or a lawyer without a good background in any discipline in education definitely would not have much to offer as minister of or commissioner for education. In this situation, implementation of educational policies under such a person would suffer setbacks, and the society would be the ultimate loser. In some cases, appointments into positions of trust are based on ethnicity or collegial relationships. Such appointments do not take qualifications, experience and capability to consideration. What we get at the end is a dismal performance and a truncated policy which neither sustains the status ante nor achieves the desired goals. As a result, continuity of policy implementation becomes a mirage.
vi. Lack of Adequate Facilities
Furthermore, an education cannot be seen as good and effective an educational system may be, it cannot achieve its desired objectives, if it is grossly lacking in essential facilities. Well-planned educational policy must make adequate provision for necessary facilities that would ensure effective and successful implementation of its policies. This implies the provision of such facilities as classrooms, science laboratories and equipment, libraries, recreational facilities, chairs and tables, relevant textbooks, and so on. The absence of these facilities will no doubt mar the implementation of well-conceived policies. For example, the implementation of the absence of technical workshops and equipment, to large extent vitiated the policy goals of 6-3-3-4 system of education in Nigeria, and is also threatening to ruin the current universal basic education programmes in country.
Conclusion
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International Journal in Management and Social Science http://ijmr.net.in, Email: [email protected] of political colorations, and this has often resulted in contradictions and inconsistencies, especially in Nigeria, for example. Educational practice was seen as activities and processes regulated by professional ethics and standards, which in other words imply implementation of policies in which the activities and processes are encapsulated. It was strongly argued that there is a relationship between philosophy and educational policy and practice, because philosophy provides a distinctive and critical reflection on the how, what and why of policy formulation. Indeed, philosophers, in no small way, contribute to clarification of complexities, analysis and defence of values that undergird educational policies and practice. In effect, this makes philosophical thinking very imperative in educational policy formulation and implementation. Although, implementation has always been a herculean task as it is often marred by some factors, especially the human factor.Recommendations
Based on the discussion so far, it is apposite that the following suggestions be made:
1. that philosophers of education be actively involved in educational policy formulation, since no education system can stand on its own without leaning heavily on a particular philosophical school of thought;
2. that policies generally should be such that can engender public confidence;
3. that National Policy on Education be reviewed with a view to purging it of eclecticism, and thereby truly Nigerianize the education system;
4. that appointment into critical positions of trust in education should be purely on merit and based on qualification and experience, and not on ethnicity and nepotism;
5. that for effective implementation of educational policies, adequate funds, facilities and equipment be made available at all level by complying with the UN directive on 26% of annual budgetary allocation to education;
6. that insightful policy formulation be adopted to minimize contradictions and inconsistencies which pose impediments to policy implementation.
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